


The Way The World Works

by Stellar_Alley



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Based on a Conan Gray Song, Fluff, Little bit of angst, M/M, Reddie Fluff, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 10:28:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28349898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stellar_Alley/pseuds/Stellar_Alley
Summary: Let me tell you a story, about a boy and a boy.Best friends with each other, but always wished they were more.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 4
Kudos: 37





	The Way The World Works

#  _ Saturday _

**Let me tell you a story**

**About a boy and a boy**

Richie Tozier leaned down to grab the final shirt in the drawer. It was black and looked small, well smaller than normal. “What about this one?” Richie turned towards the other teen. He opened the shirt and let it dangle from his hands. Its big Spiderman logo looked so much more faded in the sunlight. 

The other teen, Eddie Kaspbrak, tilted his head with a blank face, “Rich are you serious? That shirt is at least 4 years old. It’s so small” he pointed out. 

Richie’s face scrunched up as he said “So then it  _ should  _ fit you”. Richie always made fun of Eddie’s height. 

The shorter male was used to the short jokes. In response, he barked out a fake laugh then said “Haha, very fucking funny. It goes in the giveaway box” he informed Richie, who tossed it into the box labeled ‘ _ give away’ _ . Which was right beside another box that said ‘ _ keep _ ’ and a bag that was for trash.

Eddie moved around Richie to start on another drawer, but instead of going onto the next drawer, Richie turned to face Eddie. “It doesn't feel real, does it?” he asked, his voice suddenly grew soft, losing all of the joking tones that he usually spoke with. 

Eddie stopped what he was doing to look over at Richie. He noticed his smile was gone, replaced with a look of nostalgia. “What does?” Eddie questioned, lowering his voice to match Richie’s. 

“All of this” Richie held his arms out by his side to gesture to Eddie’s room. It barely even looked like his room anymore. All of the action figures, comics, and notebooks that usually littered his dresser and nightstand were now packed away inside the various boxes that lay around his room. His closet was empty, aside from a couple of basic outfits and a pair of runners. His bed was stripped of all the normal pillows and stuffed animals, now all that covered it was a lonely looking pillow and a duvet. “How you’re-”

“ _ -Moving _ ” Eddie cut him off. Sadness and frustration leaked from his voice, unable to meet Richie’s gaze. “But-  _ Rich _ ” Eddie’s voice cracked a little, the move was still a sensitive subject, “We already went over this, there’s nothing I can do about it. You know my mom, once she gets an idea in her head, not even god can change it” he sighed. 

“I know, but that doesn't mean it still doesn't hurt” Richie pouted as he plopped down onto the bed. His black curls and his big coke bottle glasses bounced as his head bopped. He looked away from Eddie and down to his hands, littered with bracelets and rings, he aimlessly began fiddling with one of his rings. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Eddie’s stance fall.

Eddie’s shoulders sagged, his head tilting forward, causing his soft brown wavy hair to flop in his face. He approached the bed where Richie sat. He noticed that his expression looked a lot more tired than it had previously. He took a seat on the edge of the bed beside Richie, their knees knocking together as they got comfortable. 

When Eddie looked back up at Richie, finally meeting his gaze, his eyes were tainted by sadness, like a kid who just watched someone kick their puppy. He had a couple of strands of hair hanging down over his face. 

Richie carefully raised his hand and swept them behind his ear. When he noticed how stiff Eddie had gotten under his touch his hand rapidly recoiled, it ended up shoved between his thighs to keep it from reaching out to touch him again. He let his tense body fall back onto Eddie’s bed, with a soft * _ thump _ *. 

“I know this wasn’t the best home… but we had some good moments here” Richie’s voice drifted off as he began to remember the best memories that he has in the Kaspbrak house. “Like- How many times have I climbed through that window?” He asked, a smile creeping onto his face. 

“Way too many times to count” Eddie stated, his voice still emotionless. “You’re crazy for doing that by the way” He smirked, amusement leaked into his voice. 

Richie looked over at the box labeled ‘comics’ and recalled another memory, “Or how many times we read comics under your covers with the flashlight on so your mom wouldn't see?”. 

“Read comics?! You fell asleep on me before we finished the second page!” Eddie reminded him with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. 

“Hey! You try running for an entire block then climb up a fucking trellis, you’d be tired too!” Richie shot back from where he laid on Eddie’s bed. He looked up at his best friend and grinned when he saw that Eddie was finally smiling. 

“Uh- no, I would’ve died of a fucking asthma attack cause I can’t run for more than 3 minutes, asshole” Eddie finally looked back at Richie. Their eyes locked for a couple of seconds prior to Eddie flopping down on the bed beside Richie. Their shoulders brushed up against each other, he couldn’t help but notice the way his skin warmed up in the places where it touched Richie. 

Richie held his hand up over his mouth, his cheeks turned pink as he chuckled “Yeah… Probably”. He paused for a moment to simply glance around the room, “We had some good nights in this bed” he remarked. 

Eddie’s breath hitched in his throat, “Don’t fucking say it like that, it makes it sound like we had sex or some shit” he scoffed, “All we did was sleep!”.

“Yeah! Sleep is great!” Richie exclaimed, tossing his hands up into the air. When they came back down to flop on the bed, his fingers brushed up against Eddie’s. Then when his hand settled beside him, the touch was lost…    
Until Richie linked their pinkies together. Neither of them said a word. 

**Best friends with each other**

#  _ Sunday _

Eddie had gotten a good chunk of the packing done the day prior, but he had spent a good chunk of the day just goofing off with Richie leaving lots of stuff to still be packed. 

That morning when Eddie woke up, he immediately changed into some older clothes, so he wouldn’t worry about dirtying them. Then began packing the rest of the contents in his room. He started with all of the random stuff he had shoved under his bed throughout the years, it was packed with things from old science projects to things he’s had to hide from Richie (he has a tendency to unconsciously snoop through Eddie’s room). 

Next on the list was the nightstand. The top was already cleared off and so was the bottom space which he used for comics. All that was left was the main drawer which he actually hadn't touched in a month or so. He used it more as a place to stash things he wanted to remember. Little things from tickets to the Aladdin movie theater, to childhood photos with his late father. 

He put a hand on the drawer handle and slowly pulled it open. It was about three-quarters of the way filled with random things. He plucked out the first thing he saw, which was an old mixtape. Mixtape as in-  _ on a tape _ . Eddie giggled,  _ Richie was always old school like that _ . It was actually the newest mixtape Richie had made for Eddie, so he had yet to listen to all 12 songs on it. 

He felt the smooth plastic beneath his fingers and attempted to remember what songs Richie had put onto this tape for Eddie,  _ and only Eddie _ . Richie always made mixtapes for the Losers, but Eddie always got his own personalized song selection. 

Curiosity ended up getting the best of him, causing him to get up and find his old boombox. He hastily plugged it into the nearest electrical outlet then carefully put it down on the floor. It was a faded blue with big black speakers. He blew the layer of dust off of the top before he flipped the switch to turn it on. It hummed to life beneath his fingers and he popped the tape in. He clicked  _ play _ before he went back to going through his nightstand. 

When the music began, Eddie nodded his head along to the beat. The first song on the list was  _ These Days  _ By Wallows. It reminded him of all the chill nights he and Richie have spent together, the late-night talks, and the early mornings when Richie would sleep in, and Eddie would just sit and watch the other’s chest as it rose and fell. 

He continued to clean his drawer, this time he pulled out an envelope that was  _ a lot _ thicker than any envelope should ever be. Eddie questioned it for about half a second before he recalled what he had stuffed it with. Inside was all of the different sketches and notes he has collected over the years and deemed worthy enough to stash in his memory drawer. 

First thing he saw was a letter from his father, Frank. He had left it for Eddie when he passed, it was labeled,  _ Eddie’s 18th Birthday.  _ Eddie smiled down at the envelope and slid it inside his bag. He swore to never open it until the time was right.

He pulled a couple out and began examining them. The first one was a sweet drawing of a blue jay that Stan had drawn for him on the corner of a math worksheet. Of course, Eddie hadn’t saved the whole worksheet, but he did tear the corner off with the drawing. The other items he had pulled out- actually most of the things in here were from Richie. One of the things in his hand was the (fake) love letter Richie had written to Eddie’s mom to match the never-ending your mom jokes that he makes on the daily. 

Eddie rolled his eyes,  _ classic Trashmouth _ . Then continued onto the next thing which actually made his heart skip a beat. It was one of Richie’s better drawings, and it was of Eddie. He had fallen asleep during class one day and Richie took that as an opportunity to sketch Eddie in all of his sleepy glory. There was a caption written at the bottom in Richie’s chicken scratch handwriting that read “ _ Sleeping Beauty _ ”. Only when he read that over a second time did he realize how his cheeks had grown hot and the tips of his ears were now hot. He glanced away in order to collect himself. 

He quickly slid the piece of paper back into the envelope and looked down at the last thing he held in his hands. This one made him smirk and let out a loud exhale through his nose. It was titled ‘ _ Eddie Spaghetti’ _ , a drawing in which had a plate of spaghetti with eyes and a mouth that were supposed to be Eddie’s. A Richie Tozier original of course.

Eddie smiled down at the stuffed envelope, he was about to put it in the box when something caught his eye. It was a photo strip that was put together to look like the one you’d get from a photo booth but really it was photos from the night of the previous year’s homecoming. Bill had taken the photos and made them into strips for each Loser. 

It consisted of 5 photos, the first two were the same for everyone. The first photo was of the Losers right as they got into the dance, it was taken in front of the main photo wall which was decorated with stars and moons to match their theme of ‘Starry Night’. They all looked nice and elegant. The boys in their suits and Beverly in her badass pantsuit. The second photo was from later in the night, they had asked some random girl to snap pics of them all in various poses. It made him giggle. The third photo was of Stan, Mike, Ben, and Bill standing shoulder to shoulder while they held Eddie who was laying down in their arms. Next was a pic of Beverly giving Eddie a piggyback ride. And the final photo was one of Richie and Eddie. Richie was leaning down and kissing Eddie’s cheek while Eddie was giving Richie bunny ears behind his head. 

His heart began to rapidly speed up, so he slid the photo back in and shook his shoulders.  _ Gotta keep packing _ , he shook  _ those  _ thoughts from his head. 

So that’s what he did, he kept packing. He didn’t stop when his mom came to check up on him, or when he heard the phone ringing. His cell phone had been turned on silent so he had no random text from Richie or spams from the Losers chat to distract him. What brought him out of his packing frenzy was the second last song on the mixtape. It started off with the sound of a guitar softly strumming before the soft voice of dodie sang the first couple lines of  _ She.  _

Eddie’s heart stopped. He actually stopped moving altogether and actually listened to the lyrics. 

_ Am I allowed to look at her like that? Could it be wrong when she’s just so nice to look at? _

Eddie thought of all the times he had caught Richie staring at him with a look of longing and desire. 

_ And she, means everything to me _ . 

He always said it was a coincidence. The song is about a girl from another girl, but the message could still be the same. 

“No… No. This is a coincidence. I’m looking way too much into this. It’s just a fucking song” Eddie rapidly shook his head.

_It would be nice if it was for me…_   
Eddie allowed his heart to speed up once again as his chest grew warm at the thought of Richie. His goofy smile and wild black curls, coke bottle glasses, long legs, and big hugs. Eddie’s heart warmed at the thought of Richie’s touch. 

**But always wished they were more**

He knew. Eddie had always known. It was like how everyone knew that after every night there would be a day, how they knew the earth moved around the sun and how the stars shined in the night. Just like that, Eddie knew he liked Richie.

He also knew Richie was a big fan of dodie so he figured he just thought Eddie would like the song. He sighed,  _ I’m moving anyways, it’s not like anything would ever happen between us. _

_ She  _ faded out and the final song began playing, and that's how he knew that it wasn't a coincidence. The final song was  _ Eddie Baby  _ by Felix Hagan & The Family. 

_ Oh, Eddie baby won’t you come into my arms tonight _ .

His heart stopped, then it kicked in, doing double time. His cheeks matched the color of a tomato. His hands went to cover his mouth in an attempt to stop the gasp that slipped from between his lips. His eyes grew wide. He realized he was on the verge of tears when it dawned on him that  _ Richie might like me too _ . 

~   
  


#  _ Monday _

**'Cause they loved one other**

_ I’m gonna do it. That’s it, today is it, I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna ask Richie out.  _

That night Eddie had gotten about 4 hours of sleep since the rest of the time he was fricken losing his mind over the thought of Richie possibly liking him too. He  _ had  _ to act on it, especially since he was moving, Eddie knew he had to do something about this before it was too late. So he decided to just ask Richie, can’t be that hard right? 

Wrong, his heart was in his throat, his hands were all clammy and his gut had become as twisted like a pretzel. He felt like his knees were gonna give out from beneath him as he slowly walked through the halls of the school. He had planned to ask Richie out before homeroom, he could just go and get it out of the way so he’d stop feeling like he was going to explode. 

He rounded the corner, now entering the territory where Richie’s locker was. Eddie’s eyes immediately began searching for the giant who would probably just be arriving since Richie always came  _ just  _ before the bell, in a constant state of almost being late. His cheeks began to warm up at the sight of the other teen who was currently leaning up against his locker door as he talked to-

Eddie stopped dead in his tracks, his heart clenching. He could hear Richie laughing from halfway down the hall, his black curls swaying as his head moved with each burst of laughter. But it was Connor he was laughing with. Richie’s usual pale complexion was disrupted by the spread of pink blush on his cheeks. 

The sight made Eddie’s stomach turn as if he were about to lose his breakfast. But the situation was only made worse when Connor reached out, carefully brushing a strand of hair behind Richie’s ear and Eddie had to watch as he practically melted at the small gesture. 

It was then that he realized he didn’t feel like he was going to throw up anymore,  _ no _ . Now he felt like if Richie did anything else he would burst into tears. 

In the moment there seemed to be only one logical response,  _ running _ . So he turned the heels of his shoes and fled the scene. He pushed past other students and avoided big groups as he desperately searched for the nearest bathroom. He ran with only one thought going through his head.

_ Of course, of course, he doesn't like me.  _

~

Eddie decided it was best to avoid Richie at all costs. In the classes they shared, he tried not to look at Richie, because he always tried his best to make Eddie laugh. He had his stuff packed and ready to go 10 minutes before the bell even rang so when it did he was up and out,  _ way  _ before Richie had even collected his things. At lunch Eddie ate in the library, claiming he had some project to work on. Then after school, he would usually get a ride home from Richie but today he packed his bag in record time and burst out the main doors of the school in hopes of going unnoticed by Richie. 

_ The day had been a success. Yeah, I successfully avoided my best fucking friend and crush for an entire day, yahoo. _

The day  _ was  _ a success or as much as of a success as it could be considering he  _ did  _ have to avoid the person he’s closest to. It went fairly smoothly up until about 10 minutes to 9. Right before Eddie was about to fall asleep he began to hear the soft sounds of what might be something knocking against his bedroom window. 

Eddie slowly rose from his bed. His heart thudding a bit harder inside his chest with anxiety at the thought of,  _ what if it’s not  _ _ something  _ _ but  _ _ someone _ . So the teen did what any other living being would do, he got up and went to check what was outside the window. 

He raised a shaky hand up to the curtains, slowly pulling them to the side. Eddie nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight of a figure perched on the roof beside his window. He had to withhold a scream in fear of waking his mother. 

The figure began waving its hands widely and Eddie’s shoulders sagged, realizing who it is. He rushed to open his window “Richie what the ever-living fuck are you doing here!” He whispers shouted at the teen outside. 

“Finally! He acknowledges me! I thought I was invisible for a second” Richie shot back, his tone cold,  _ hurt _ . 

Eddie backed away from the window, allowing Richie to climb through and into his room. He dusted off his jogging pants before he looked up to meet Eddie’s gaze. His eyes were filled with confusion, “What the fuck was up with you today?” He demanded. 

Eddie scrunched his nose up, his shoulders tensed, “What do you mean? Nothing’s up!” he shot back. 

“Bullshit!” Richie exclaimed, Eddie reached a hand forward, clapping it over Richie’s mouth, silencing him.

“Shut the fuck up! Do you want my mom to hear you asshole!?” Eddie whispered at Richie. He rapidly retracted his hand the moment he felt something long and wet rub up against his palm. “EW! Did you just lick me! You fucking animal I swear to god that’s so unsanitary” Eddie squealed, rapidly shaking his hand and rubbing it on his shirt. 

Richie burst out into laughter, doubling over and clutching his abdomen. 

“So not funny” Eddie growled, “now shut up before we get busted”. 

Richie slowly stopped laughing, all seriousness gone from his face. He tilted his head like a confused puppy, his lips curved into a lazy smile. “Eddie- I know something’s wrong, you barely noticed me today. I just wanna know what I did…” Hurt tainted his words as his voice drifted off. 

Eddie released the tension in his body, his eyes softened as he admired Richie. 

“You… You didn’t do anything” He sighed, “I-I just saw you with Connor today and I-” he paused to think over his next words. “I got jealous,” he finished. 

“Oh-  _ Eds _ . You know no one could ever replace you right? You’re my Eddie spaghetti, my  _ best friend _ ” he emphasized the last words. When the shorter teen didn’t reply, Richie took a step forward, wrapping Eddie up in his big arms and hugging him. 

Eddie didn’t respond, instead, he slowly melted into Richie’s arms. Slowly hugging him back, burying his face into the crook of his neck. 

After a while, they slowly let go of each other. Richie’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, “So after you saw  _ that _ you just decided to ignore me for the rest of the day?” He wondered. 

Eddie sighed again, “I don’t know… I guess?” He shrugged, “Sorry I’m just really tired”. 

Richie dropped the subject instead of asking, “Wanna go to bed?”. 

The simple nod he gave was all he gave. Neither of them even questioned it when Richie climbed into bed with Eddie, carefully putting an arm over Eddie’s waist. 

Even though this was their normal, Eddie couldn't help but notice the way his skin tingles in the places that Richie touched, or how his cheeks became hot and red. But he put those feelings aside in fear of ruining their friendship. 

Little did he know that Richie’s heart beat for him as well. 

~

**But never discovered**

**'Cause they were too afraid**

**Of what they'd say**

The next day was like any other. It started off with muffled curses as Richie struggled to get back out the window and back to his car without being seen by Eddie’s mom. Then Eddie proceeded as if it were a normal day, eating breakfast in awkward silence with his mother, getting ready for school, and meeting Richie in front of his house so they can ride to school together. 

From there they split up to go to their lockers. Classes were normal, they talked a normal amount without much of the awkwardness from the previous night. It was on the drive home that things took a turn. 

“What’s something you’ve always wanted to do?” Richie pondered out of the blue. 

Eddie hummed in confusion. 

“Like- I know this town is literally the most boring place in the history of ever, but what’s something you’ve always wanted to do?” He repeated. 

Eddie stayed silent for a beat, thinking over the question in his head.  _ Kiss you, but that’s kinda out of the question,  _ he giggled at his stupid little fantasy. 

He didn’t realize what he’d done until Richie broke out into the voice of what seemed like an old man “What’s so funny? Hmm? You hologins are always laughing”. 

Eddie lightly blushed and glanced away, out the window. When he realized that he was supposed to respond he spit out the first thought that came to mind, “Night swimming”. 

_ NUMBNUTS! JESUS, DO YOU WANNA GET HYPOTHERMIA? OR DROWN?! GOOD GOING! _

“Really?” Richie raised an eyebrow over at the boy in the passenger seat. 

“ _ Yes”  _ Eddie hesitated. 

“Now that we can make it happen!” He hollered. 

_ Oh dear god, what have I gotten myself into? He won’t do it-  _ _ no _ _. There’s no way. _

But then when the sunset, the moon hung overhead and he heard that unmistakable sound of someone knocking on his window. 

“No, I’m not fucking doing it” Was the first thing Eddie said to Richie the moment he opened the window. 

“What? You’re the one who said you wanted to do it!” Richie exclaimed at a whisper volume. 

“Well now I don’t want to either get inside or go home” Eddie hated the tone he used but it was true. He didn’t want to DIE OF HYPOTHERMIA. 

“ _ God you’re such a drama queen _ ” Richie huffed, rolling his eyes before he let them fall back on Eddie. “Come on Eds… Please. We can’t go to the quarry before you leave, so this would be our last splash” He practically begged. 

Eddie’s heart clenched, he stared at Richie’s big puppy dog eyes and he couldn’t stop the words that slipped from his mouth “ _ Okay… _ ” It was so quiet he wasn’t even sure if Richie had heard him. 

Then Richie’s eyes grew wide like the full moon above them. “Yay!” He cheered. He shot a big tooth grin over at Eddie.

Before Eddie could even begin to argue a thought popped into his head, “Wait did you say the quarry?!”.

~

Eddie complained the entire way there. All Richie did in response was turn the music up and sing louder. The shorter male only quit his whining when they began walking into the forest, down the path that led towards the quarry. 

“If I die it’s your fault” Eddie grumbled. 

“How would you-“ Richie stopped himself before he finished, “Never mind” he shook his head. He knew very well that Eddie could supply at least 10 different circumstances that would end in his untimely death. Instead, he wrapped an arm around Eddie’s shoulder and proclaimed, “Don’t worry Eds, I’ll protect you from death’s grasp!”.

Eddie rolled his eyes but made no effort to remove Richie’s arm from where it laid. 

They could feel the air get cooler as they approached the large body of water. It made the hair on the back of their necks stand up, Richie was filled with excitement as Eddie was filled with anxiety. 

On a normal day, they’d jump off the 20-foot cliff, into the deep water and swim over to the shore where they’d spend the rest of the day. Today,  _ tonight _ , was not so normal. Since it was  _ way _ too dark to even see the edge of the cliff, the boys opted to just go right to the shore and walk in from there. 

Richie had already stripped down to his swim shorts by the time the water came into view. Eddie on the other hand had his towel wrapped around his shoulders. 

Richie dropped his bag on the ground and stood at the water’s edge. He waited for a beat before he turned to face Eddie. “Oh come on… You’re the one that said you wanted to do this anyways!” he reminded the other. 

“Well, minds change” Eddie rolled his eyes. 

Richie sighed, “Eddie…” His voice drifted off. Eddie’s eyes rose from the floor to meet the other’s, surprised by the sincerity in his voice. “Come on, it’s your last couple of days here. We gotta make it count” he reminded him. 

Eddie let his eyes rise to look at the sky overhead. He knew that Richie would never do anything if he thought it’d hurt Eddie, so how bad could this be? 

Richie raised his hand up, towards Eddie. “Fine” He sighed. His stomach twisted when their hands touched. 

Carefully, Richie led Eddie to the water’s edge. The quarry was dark, the water a deep green that glowed under the moon’s light. The water was cold against their skin, Eddie shivered at the touch, which caused Richie to giggle before he led them a little further in. It wasn’t too bad, they only stopped when it reached their waist to let their body adjust to the temperature. From there they stared out into the water. They squint their eyes so the water would sparkle magically.

Eddie had only noticed that Richie had let go of his hand when the ladder continued to move forward, without him. Eddie planted his feet in the sand, not moving. 

Richie caught on fairly quickly and in response, turned and splashed Eddie. 

“AH! You little-“ Eddie winded up and retaliated with another splash. 

Riche barked out a laugh, the side of his head now wet, plastering the hair to his face. He ducked down under the water, when he came back up, he flipped his head backward the same way the little mermaid had. 

Eddie watched in awe as the water glistened on his skin. His hair an inky black mess on top of his head. His lips looked like he’d been biting them a lot lately, pink and a little raw. He wondered what it would feel like to have those lips against his own. He was pulled from his imagination when Richie splashed him again. 

“Stop it! You’re gonna wet my hair” Eddie squealed. 

Richie arched an eyebrow, “And why wouldn’t you want that?” he asked deviously. 

“Cause then I’ve gotta shower and it’s  _ so late  _ I’d wake my-“ He was cut off when Richie slammed his hands on Eddie’s shoulders, pushing him down under the waves. 

He was only underwater for a couple of seconds, but that was more than enough to send a wave of panic through his system. When Richie let go and he jumped out of the water, he couldn’t stop coughing. 

Richie was silent with shock for a best before “Shit! Eddie are you okay?” He rushed to his side. 

Eddie continued to cough and act as if he were hacking up a lung. But the moment Richie came within reach, Eddie leaped forward, grabbing him in a chokehold and pulling him down into the water. He let go almost immediately, he pushed himself towards the surface and burst out into laughter the moment he could breathe. 

Richie rose out of the water, his lips curved into a scowl as he crossed his arms over his chest. “So not fucking funny Eds” He growled. 

“Then why am I laughing!” Eddie said through a fit of laughter. 

Richie rolled his eyes. He kept the act up as he studied how close they had suddenly become. With that, his heart beat a little harder. But he brushed it off and splashed Eddie again. 

~

#  _ Tuesday _

Eddie had almost fallen asleep twice during his first-period class. 

_ I guess staying up all night swimming in the quarry can do that to someone.  _

He was just waiting for lunch to start so he could go and study in the library for the test he had in math the next day. 

Derry High’s library was not the most updated library, nor the most popular. The only people that could be found there during lunch were the book worms and the people studying for tests the next period. That made about 10 students. It made the perfect place for Eddie to hide away and study. 

He got settled at his usual desk in the back, he sprawled all of his books out, and began studying. He had made all of the most important terms into flashcards and had about 5 of them memorized.

He got a solid 20 minutes of studying in before he was distracted by the sound of someone dragging a bean bag chair along to the carpeted floor of the library. 

“You know you’re not supposed to-” Eddie began speaking but stopped when he realized who it was, “Richie?”. 

“That’s me,” he said before he flopped into the bean bag chair. 

Eddie scanned the library, no one was watching them or getting him to quiet down so he asked, “What are you doing?”. 

“Napping” Richie declared, his eyes already closed. Eddie held back a yawn at the thought,  _ I’d kill for a nap right about now.  _ “Come join me” Richie opened his arms up for Eddie to join him. 

The ladder shook his head, “I gotta study” he said even though he  _ really  _ wanted to join him. 

“Come here and I’ll help you study. You know my math mark, I can help you raise yours” he was right, Richie might not act like it but he passes (most) his classes with flying colors. 

_ Okay, he  _ **_is_ ** _ gonna help me- the closeness will just be an added bonus _ , Eddie reasoned with himself.

“Alright,” His voice was quiet as his nerves grew bigger. He gathered his stuff and made his way over to where Richie laid. He put his bag on the ground before he slowly began lowering himself down onto the beanbag chair. 

Richie leaned back and got comfortable, an arm wrapping around Eddie’s shoulders. With a swift swoop he snatched the cards from Eddie and began inspecting them, “okay so what does Ym+ B make?” he asked, his voice coated in a thick layer of sleep. 

“W-What?” Eddie asked as he tilted his head to look over at the other. 

“What? I’m helping you study” he pointed out. 

“Oh…” Eddie’s voice drifted off.  _ that’s nice _ . So he let Richie help him. 

Richie proceeded to go through a couple of other questions until he felt something press against his shoulder. He looked over, surprised to see Eddie had fallen asleep on his shoulder. 

Richie hummed in content. He adored the way Eddie looked peaceful on his shoulder, eyes, chest slowly falling and rising. He barely even noticed when his eyes began to close and he drifted off to sleep. 

The bell rang and Eddie jolted upwards, his heart racing as his breath quickened, “Shit!” he hollered as he quickly shook Richie’s shoulders before he leaped up and snatched his bag off of the ground. 

“W-What?” Richie questioned his voice heavy with sleep. 

“WE FELL ASLEEP” Eddie exclaimed. without any further notice, Eddie leaned down, grabbed Richie’s arms, and yanked him to his feet. 

Richie stumbled as he tried to regain his balance, nearly crashing into Eddie in the process. 

“We gotta go to class” Eddie grabbed his hand and pulled him towards their next class. 

Thankfully Eddie was able to keep his eyes open for the rest of the day. Every time he thought back to lunch, his heart skipped a beat, even if he barely got any studying done. Good thing he had free time at home to study. 

That’s what his plan was, get home, and study until the sun went down. Sadly the universe had other plans because the moment the clock struck 8, Eddie heard a faint knock come from his window. 

_ No, it can’t be- _ Eddie thought as he slowly rose from his desk and shuffled towards the window. “Richie!” Eddie whisper shouted when he saw who was perched on the piece of the roof outside of his window. 

“Hey,” Richie greeted with a grin when Eddie opened the window. He stepped into the room and stretched his back, releasing a few cracks in the process.

“What are you doing here?” Eddie demanded. 

“I came to help you study” Richie held his hands up in defense. Then his joking demeanor began to fade away, his eyes met Eddie’s “and I uh- I actually wanna help you study since you didn’t get to at lunch”. 

Eddie’s heart melted at the sentiment behind his voice. For a minute the two just watched each other, Eddie only realized how long it’d been when he suddenly felt the slight awkwardness in the room. “So- uh, let’s study,” Eddie suggested. 

Richie got comfortable on his bed and Eddie brought all of his notes over. This time, instead of snatching them out of his hands, Richie carefully took them and immediately began going over the basic terms.

While Richie was reading over a passage from his notes, Eddie couldn't help just admiring him. His heart was practically beating right out of his chest. 

Little did he know Riche’s heart beat just as hard for him too. 

#  _`~_ _  
  
_

#  _ Wednesday  _

Richie was ripped out of his deep sleep by the sound of Eddie groaning, “We have  _ got  _ to stop doing this”. 

Richie’s eyes fluttered open. The morning sunlight streamed in through his open window.. He squinted at the light since it went right into his eyes. He hummed in confusion. When he looked over at Eddie, his heart did a little sumersault. _ Of course, the sun had to make him look all pretty and glowy _ he thought as he stared at Eddie. His hair had turned a beautiful shade of gold, causing his eyes to look like a pool of fresh honey as they looked Richie’s way.

Only when Eddie tried to sit up did Richie remember that he had an arm wrapped around his waist. When Eddie attempted to wiggle free from his grasp, Richie’s arm only tightened around his waist, pulling them closer.

“We should just skip today, catch up on all that sleep we missed” Richie whispered, his breath tickled Eddie’s neck, sending a shiver down his spine. 

“Hmm yeah, you wish Tozier” Eddie grumbled, “Get up” he softly demanded. 

“No,” Richie said sweetly.

Eddie groaned in (fake) protest. He tried to get out from Richie’s grasp but he knew from past experiences that this was an almost impossible task. So he opted to use drastic measures to get free from this prison. Eddie reached forward, grabbing his pillow, whipping it around and slamming it into Richie’s face.

Richie would’ve let out an overdramatic scream if Eddie’s mom was not in the house. Instead he opted to just groan loudly before he hid his face against Eddie’s back. That didn’t help him since Eddie just continued to wail on him with the pillow. 

Richie didn’t wait too long before he grabbed his own pillow and hit Eddie’s side with it. 

“Asshole! Just let me go dammit” Eddie hollered.

“Never!” Richie responded and proceeded to wrap his legs around Eddie like a koala. 

Eddie let out a groan, “You’re gonna make us late on my second  _ last day of school _ ”. He hit Richie again with the pillow. Since Eddie was leaving on Saturday, his mother Sonia thought it would be best to keep him home on Friday so he could help her pack the rest of their things. Eddie didn’t want to, he wanted to spend one last day with his friends. Sadly he never had a say in things like this.

“I don’t care” Richie protested, his voice muffled by Eddie’s shirt since his face was up against his back.

“Either you let go or I swear to god, I’ll roll over and give both of us concussion” Eddie threatened. 

Even though Richie didn’t want to, he begrudgingly let Eddie go. He knew that Eddie wouldn’t hesitate to toss Richie off the bed, as long as it meant he wouldn’t be late. 

Richie slowly sat up in bed, he pulled his pillow closer to his chest to replace the warmth that Eddie took when he got out of bed. He watched as Eddie silently took his shirt off. He had to be very careful to make sure Eddie didn’t catch him staring at the other’s bareback. He only caught a couple glimpses of his front as when he bent over to grab something off the ground. It was Richie’s black Van Halen sweatshirt, which had just been washed. He was unsure why Eddie grabbed  _ his  _ sweatshirt instead of taking something from his own closet, but Richie didn’t mind. He actually adored the way Eddie looked in his oversized sweater.

“Hey take care of her, s’ my favourite hoodie” Richie moaned, voice still tired. 

“I’ll take care of this thing better than you ever will,” Eddie said through a sigh. “Please, Rich,  _ get up _ . You’ve gotta drive us” Eddie begged. Then he finally caved, “I’ll buy us breakfast on the way if you-“

“Why didn’t you just say so! Andale Eduardo let’s go!” Richie exclaimed. Suddenly he was already out the door and down the stairs. 

Eddie knew his mom would still be asleep so he didn’t bother forcing Richie to leave via window. Instead he quickly grabbed his bag and followed behind him. 

It was a sunny November morning in Derry. Just warm enough to wear a shirt but also cool enough if you wanted to wear a sweater. So it was perfect in Richie’s eyes. The moment his jeep started up, he used one hand to open all the windows while the other began rapidly scanning the radio for a good song. He would normally play his mixtape but he was feeling lucky today. 

“STOP!!” Eddie slapped Richie’s hand away. Quickly he turned it back to the other station and the jeep filled with the sweet sounds of Abba’s Mamma Mia. He turned to Richie and flashed him a big grin. 

“Nice catch spaghetti” Richie beamed at him, turning the radio up. “One more look and I forget everything” He began to sing the lyrics. He nudged Eddie, gesturing for him to sing too. In response he got an eyerolle from Eddie, so he kicked it up a notch. 

“JUST ONE” he exclaimed, “Look and I can hear a bell ring” he lowered his voice and leaned his head over towards Eddie.

Eddie shoved his head and demanded that he ‘watch the road’.

“ONE MORE look and I forget everything” Richie continued. “Oh come on Eds! Lighten up a bit”. 

Eddie grumbled, but he  _ did  _ really like Abba.  _ Plus how many times like these will we have left?  _ Eddie thought as he looked over at Richie and saw how much fun he was having. 

“OhhhHH” Eddie joined in. His grimace turned into a smile.

“Mamma mia, here I go again. My my, how can I resist you?” They sang together. 

It was a great start to Eddie’s last day of school. 

~

That night, Richie, Eddie and their friend group The Losers, got together in honor of Eddie’s departure. Everyone was together again, Richie, Eddie, Bill, Ben, Bev, Mike and Stan. They had ordered pizza and ate so much chocolate that they should have diabetes. Finally they retired to the Tozier’s basement where they began to argue over what movie to watch. 

Richie and Beverly were trying to get them to watch Jennifer’s Body from where they sat, curled up on the couch together under one blanket. Bill sat on the arm chair, he asked if they could watch Jurassic Park (for about the 10th time), everyone said no. 

Mike and Ben were perched on the other couch and suggested Indiana Jones. 

Stan didn’t really care what we watched, he was already half asleep. And Eddie, well he was too busy fighting over the blanket with Stan, both of them claiming to be ‘freezing’ and in desperate need of its warmth.

Richie watched the little asthmatic with love in his eyes. He was so busy that he hadn't even noticed the way his mouth began to hang open. Beverly was the one to point it out. 

Bev reached a hand out and pushed his lower jaw up, closing his mouth. “Close your Trashmouth before you start catching flies” She advised. 

“Hm?” Richie hummed, worried that he had missed something. 

The redhead chuckled, “You aren’t even together and you’re already whipped”. 

Richie scoffed, “I am  _ not _ ”. He was about to argue more when Mike got up and declared that they were gonna watch ‘ _ Toy Story 4’ _ . 

_ I guess I missed the debate _ , Richie realized,  _ meh, that’s okay, I never minded Toy Story _ . 

~   
  


“ _ That’s  _ how they ended it? Wow” Mike said with his jaw opened as the credits rolled. 

“That was so-” Ben started. 

“Bad” Beverly supplied. 

“I wouldn't say that” Ben grimaced. 

“Literally everyone was out of character” Richie added, “The ending to three was fine, I don’t know why we needed a four”. 

“And that  _ damn  _ fork” Eddie cursed, he shook his head in disapproval. 

“I hated that fuh-fuh-fork  _ so  _ much” Bill clenched his hand into a fist to show his aggression. “But you know who I ha-hated more?” he asked with a raise eyebrow. 

“Suzie” The others groaned in unison. 

“Suzie from S-Stranger things!” Bill agreed. “She wuh-was so annoying. Making Duh-Duh-Dustin do that song, people are d-dying!” 

“I don’t know how they kept up that long distance relationship” Mike tried to change the subject. 

“You know most of those don’t work out, right?” Ben pipped up. He was a hopeless romantic, like Richie, so that hurt a little to hear. 

“I mean if they really tried…” Richie’s voice was softer than normal. Maybe it was because this hit closer to home than most of their other conversations. He knew that they didn’t have much time together, but he knew that if they  _ could  _ do long distance. If only he put his damn fears aside and fucking asked him out-

“Yeah then it’s like when someone says ‘i have a girlfriend in Canada’ no one will believe you” Stan rolled his eyes. It came off a bit harsher than he intended, Richie knew he was tired but it still hurt. 

Eddie didn’t speak up. Instead he opted to play with the blanket that laid over his legs. He kept his eyes super focused on the soft fabric he rolled between his fingers in order to keep his eyes off of Richie. 

Eddie wanted to do something, at least  _ try _ . But deep down he knew he wouldn’t work out. So he just stayed quiet. It’s not like anyone noticed. 

Richie noticed. He knew Eddie was hiding something but now it suddenly felt pointless to ask, like it wouldn’t matter either way because he’d be leaving soon. Finally he pushed his feelings down. Then with his heart rate back to normal, it allowed his stomach grumbling to be heard. 

“I’m famished, who would be interested in joining me in the raiding my fridge?” He spoke in an english accent as he got up from the couch. 

Beverly stood up with him “I’d love to darling” her accent matched his. She held her arm out towards him and Richie took it, locking their arms as they went towards the stairs. 

Eddie sighed. A wave of hopelessness washed over him which made him feel unbelievably tired. Sadly there was nothing he could do, some people just aren’t meant for eachother. 

~   
  


#  _ Thursday  _

Eddie walked to school alone on Thursday instead of getting Richie to drive him. After the events of the night prior, he wasn't exactly in the mood to see Richie since he would only be reminded of their hopeless situation. 

The temperature had dropped significantly overnight. It meant Eddie had to bundle up, he added an extra sweater to his wardrobe but sadly forgot his little gloves. Even when he shoved his hands into his pockets, his fingers were still cold. He sighed,  _ I’ll be there soon _ ,  _ I’ll be fine _ . Somehow he doubted that last statement. 

With the route he took to school, he was forced to use the entrance that used the hallway where Richie’s locker resided. He could always walk around the school and use the other entrance but then he’d risk being late. 

_ Yeah, late on my last day of school by ass _ , Eddie huffed as he hiked up his backpack and pushed open the door to the school.

The plan was to avoid Richie.  _ I’m short-  _ **_there I said it_ ** **,** _ I can just duck behind the crowd and he won’t even see me.  _ The moment the locker came into sight, Eddie’s heart stopped, there was Connor again, talking to Richie, making him laugh and blush. 

Eddie sighed and continued on. His heart practically in his throat as he passed by. Just to his curiosity, Richie hadn't noticed him. Eddie decided to not ignore Richie like he had last time he got jealous. Since that ended in Richie barging into his room. He wasn't in the mood to see Richie (read: he knew he’d do something he’d regret if he saw Richie again). So that day, Eddie acted as if nothing was wrong, and if anyone asked what was wrong, he was able to pull the  _ I’m moving  _ card, and he was immediately off the hook. 

Overall it was a good day, but a lonely one. 

Eddie’s bed felt a little colder that night. He had to fetch an extra pillow to hug to his chest because his hands were craving  _ something _ (Richie). He got too used to sleeping with another body in his bed. He got too used to Richie in general, his jokes, his laugh, the way he smelled like shampoo and his cologne, how touchy he was. It was Eddie’s own fault for falling for his best friend. 

_ Of course this won’t work out. Just when I was starting to feel happy, this had to happen. Of course… _

_ ~ _

#  _ Friday _

Sure, Eddie had some pretty shitty memories in this house, but that didn’t mean he wasn't sad to see it go. Since he wasn’t attending school that day he was tasked with helping his mom pack up the last of their things. He put pieces of his life into boxes, only to tape them up and leave them in the living room where they’ll be taken to New York tomorrow. All of the things that helped shape him into the man he is today. How easy it was to just pack them all away scared him. 

That day he was reminded of the cold truth that every is temporary. 

_ Houses, items, people… Richie. _

**Moved to different states**

~

#  _ Saturday _

Eddie woke up alone. No arm around his waist or a forehead pressed against his back. Just  _ him _ , and enough desire to fuel a fucking engine. But he pushed all of his feelings because  _ it’s moving day. After today, none of this matters. I’ll be starting new, whether I want to or not.  _

The rest of the morning was spent packing up his final things,  _ blankets, toiletries, electronic cables, and the last of my clothes _ . Eddie went through his mental checklist as he filled the last couples of boxes he had saved for precisely these moments.

“Okay and, all done!” He dusted his hands off on his pants. He did a little twirl around his room, that’s when he hit a wall of sadness. 

His bedroom was stripped of every little inch of  _ Eddie _ . Everything that he ever owned, everything that could have indicated that he lived there.  _ Gone _ . 

His little sadness session was interrupted by the all too familiar thumping of a certain someone from his window. 

With his back still facing the window, Eddie grunted, “What do you want Richie?”. He hated the tone his voice took but he  _ really  _ couldn’t see Richie right now. 

“Eddie! Hey I wanted to come say goodbye.”

“I thought we agreed that we’d all say goodbye at the airport?” Eddie asked in a stern tone. Finally he turned to face Richie. That was a mistake. Seeing Richie’s face suddenly fill with sadness nearly broke his heart. 

Richie looked taken aback, a wave of hurt washed over his face. “I-uh,  _ yeah _ , we did but I just wanted to tell you that-” he got cut off by Eddie. 

“What? What Richie? Hm?” Eddie barked. 

“ _ What _ ? Eddie who the hell shoved a stick up your ass, oh my god” Richie huffed, obviously tired of Eddie’s bullshit. 

Eddie sighed in frustration. “Will you give it a rest already? You know it won’t work out. Whatever the hell this is, whatever the hell  _ we have _ ” he raised his voice in an attempt to get his point across. 

Richie could play this game, so he raised his voice too, “Yeah says who?”.

“Literally all of our fucking friends.  _ Richie _ , I’m fucking moving today, to a whole other state! How can you expect this…” Eddie’s voice broke. He realized his eyes were on the verge of tears when they rose to meet Richie’s. Now his voice shook, but not from anger, from sadness. “How can you expect  _ us _ to work when there’s 500 fucking miles between us?”.

“Who the hell cares about the distance? Eddie we’ve been through so much already… H-How can you just give up so easily?” Richie’s eyes grew watery to match Eddie’s. Magnified behind his big glasses, it only made Eddie’s heart lurch even more. 

**Oh, and I'm afraid that's just the way the world works**

Eddie’s posture straightened and his breath steadied. “Because I’m leaving today, Richie. You’re too late” he said so low it was almost a whisper. 

Unlike Eddie, suddenly collecting himself, Richie did the opposite. He looked like someone had just ripped his heart right out of his chest. What only made it worse was how broken his voice sounded, “O-Okay. I guess I should go” He swallowed the lump in his throat and walked towards the window. He got out, onto Eddie’s roof but quickly turned back and stuck his head through the window again. “Eddie just know I-I....” he sighed, “ _ Nevermind _ ”. He never did finish that sentence. 

Eddie watched as he turned around and got off of his roof. The moment the trashmouth had left his sight, he fell to his knees. Breaking out into a heart wrenching sob that shook him to his core. 

**It ain't funny, it ain't pretty, it ain't sweet**

~

Eddie had forced himself to get up and clean himself up before his mom wandered in and found him. All curled up in a fetal position, sobbing over some boy he never had a chance with. 

Not long afterwards, Eddie found himself standing in the doorway to his bedroom for the very last time. He refrained from remembering his best moments in this room since he had already shed enough tears today. Instead he kissed the tips of his fingers and planted them on the door. He whispered a soft “ _ Thank you, for everything _ ” before he shut his eyes and closed the door on his bedroom. 

He was a little too busy helping his mom carry the last minute boxes out to the car to really give a proper goodbye to the house. But as Sonia Kaspbrak pulled out of the driveway and began driving away, Eddie turned and waved. He didn’t look away until the house was completely out of sight. 

~

When the Kaspbrak’s pulled up to the airport, Eddie was surprised to see all (minus 1) of The Losers. They stood on the curb with big signs. Each one had a different letter. All together it spelled  **E D D I E** . He shed a tear as he burst out from the car and booked it towards his friends. 

The Losers quickly put down the signs in order to make room for Eddie as he barreled towards them. They all opened up and enveloped him in one big group hug. 

Once they all separated, Eddie leaned towards Beverly and whispered, “No Richie?”. 

Beverly arched an eyebrow as the smile fell from her face, “You know why” She insisted before she smiled again. He could tell she was a little pissed, but she was focused more on saying goodbye to him then being mad about something that doesn't even involve her. 

One by one, Eddie said goodbye to the other Losers. It was filled with tears and hugs. Each of them giving him little bits of advice and words of wisdom. Though, the one thing that they  _ all  _ did, was tell Eddie that they would keep in touch. But deep down they knew that that wouldn’t last. 

When he was done, his cheeks were covered with tears, his nose was clogged and his eyes were wet and puffy. 

“I love you guys so much” Eddie practically choked on his own words. 

“A-And we love you t-too” Bill wiped a tear from his cheek as he opened his arms up and they shared one last group hug.

Eddie had to practically be dragged away from them by his mother since she knew he wouldn’t go on his own. They kept shouting their goodbyes and waving their arms at him. He kept waving his hand until the moment he entered the tunnel onto the plane and they were wiped from his sight. He let out a shaky sigh as he begrudgingly followed behind his mother.

~

Eddie thought about the little town of Derry. It was a weird place. It was a place where weird was the norm. So when people saw a red balloon peeking out from the sewer drain or a little paper boat sailing in the street during a storm, they didn’t bat an eye. It was a place where kids either were missing or were forgotten. 

That was one of their most famous rumors after all, that when you leave Derry, you forget about the life you once led there. Eddie didn’t believe that bullshit. 

That still didn’t change the fact that he would miss that weird little town. Also how he’d rather be in some weird town than an airplane cause  _ god  _ he hated airplanes.

He desperately searched his bag for something to distract himself with.  _ Book? No. Phone? No. Cards? No.  _

What he pulled out next caused a gasp to slip from between his lips. It was the letter his father had written for him.  _ Eddie’s 18th Birthday _ . Another tear rolled down his cheek. He couldn’t explain what he did next, because he found himself tearing open the letter and unfolding the paper inside. Even after the countless times he told himself to wait until the time was right. 

_ My heart is broken and my world is falling down around me so- now is as best of time as never. Right? _

Before he could stop himself, he began reading the letter. 

_ Dear Eddie, _

_ My son, my boy, the light of my life.  _

_ Damn I sure hope you’re living yours. I hope you’re living your life to the fucking fulliest. I know that I won’t always be there to kiss every scraped knee and wish you every goodnight but just know that I’ll always be with you. Because I love you.  _

_ I also hope you keep those friends you have, your Losers. Because they’re good for you, no matter what your mother says. Just because she’s your mother doesn't mean you need to listen to her word for word.  _

_ You know, at the end of the day there aren't any such things as good friends or bad friends- maybe there are just friends, people who stand by you when you’re hurt or who help you feel not so lonely. Maybe they’re always worth being scared for, and hoping for, and living for. Maybe worth dying for too, if that’s what has to be. No good friends. No bad friends. Only people you want, need to be with; people who build their houses in your heart. Be who you want to be. Be proud. And if you find someone worth holding on to, never, ever, let them go. Follow your own path, wherever that takes you- _

It was at that moment that Eddie’s phone rang. 

He quickly fumbled with the device, ignoring the glares he got from the people beside them as he quickly answered. 

“Hello?”.

“Eddie? Hey! Eds-” Richie’s voice burst out of the speaking. 

“Richie what the-”

“Come here now I’m at the tunnel gate just,  _ please _ , I-I need to see you. Please Eds, you know I’d never-”

“Coming,” Eddie said as he hung up, already out of his seat. He ignored the angry shouts of his mother and ran from the plan, down the tunnel, past passengers and back out into the airport. 

Suddenly arms were around him and he was being lifted into the air. He immediately hugged back. When they let go Eddie asked “Richie what the hell are you doing here?”. 

Richie had this wild smile on his face and tears in his eyes, “I had to see you again! I couldn’t leave it like that because,  _ because _ , Eddie I love you. I love you so fucking much. A-And I don’t care if I never see you again, or if you come back tomorrow! I just  _ need  _ you to know that I love you so fucking much” Richie blurted out in one breath. 

Eddie didn’t respond, well not verbally. Instead, he grabbed the collar of Richie’s shirt and pulled him down. Their lips collided and it felt like fireworks went off in their chests. It was quick, because Eddie pulled away to whisper “I love you Richie. I love you  _ so  _ much”. Then it was Richie to kiss Eddie this time. 

Their kiss was filled with so much raw passion and  _ love _ . They moved insync like they were made for eachother, like two puzzle pieces that have finally found each other after a lifetime apart. 

“I love you, I love you,  _ I love you _ ” Richie said against Eddie's lips when they pulled apart to breathe. “And I want to make this work, to make us work. Because we’re Richie and Eddie, and if anyone is gonna make this work, it’s gonna be us”. 

Eddie even surprised himself by the words that he said next, “Okay”.

Richie’s face lit up like a christmas tree, “Really?!”. 

“Really” Eddie confirmed, grinning up at Richie, “Let’s do this. You and me”. 

“Together” Richie nodded. 

Eddie smiled, and suddenly he realized that maybe they  _ could  _ do it, “Together”. 

  
  


**Oh, and I'm afraid that's just the way the world works**

**But I think that it could work for you and me**

**Just wait and see**

**It's not the end of the story**

**Author's Note:**

> just a little holiday gift for everyone! 
> 
> Happy holidays and as always, 
> 
> So Long and Goodnight.


End file.
